Will it work? an initial examination of the processes and outcomes of converting course materials to CD-ROMs

The Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University (Victoria, Australia) decided to dispense of all printed post-graduate learning materials and replace them with CD-ROMs from the commencement of the 2006 academic year. In addition, CD-ROMs were developed for a limited
number of undergraduate units as part of a future delivery plan for this cohort of students. The following paper describes this project, the reasons underpinning it, and the processes the Faculty adopted to implement the project. The project is ongoing and part of a broader agenda for change
that will see an even greater application of electronic technology to teaching and learning within the Faculty. Although only initial findings and observations are possible at this stage, the project provides a basis for longitudinal reporting and, potentially, a guide for other institutions who may
be considering such a move. The paper reports on these observations and on those in the educational development arena and suggests that the Faculty will need to learn from these initial experiences and evaluate the project in greater depth to guarantee a smooth transition for all stakeholders.

Pricing segmentation and MBA course choice

The consensus from studies of the price-demand relationship for higher education is that this relationship is negative but small. This paper investigates the circumstances in which demand for an MBA is positive to price increases. A survey of currently enrolled MBA students, and prospective MBA students, found that most students displayed the expected price elasticity in a conjoint analysis of hypothetical MBA course ratings. However, 12 per cent of respondents exhibited “reversal” behaviour regarding price. Profiling these respondents using discriminant analysis suggested that “reversals” seemed prepared to pay more for a course at a high prestige university, if they could study off-campus using print-based materials.

Redesign of a multimedia course to reflect process not product

Universities are moving towards an environment of online teaching and learning. This is impacting the revision of degree programmes. A multimedia design course was revised to reflect and improve the design process inherent within multimedia production. The course was analyzed and revised using a critical reflection process. The outcome of the evaluation indicated that students were more satisfied but they had not grasped some of the fundamental concepts of design, and further revision of the course was needed for delivering materials and teaching in an online environment. The recommendation from the teaching team was to explore the range of research methods to formally revise the course again for future improvements to teaching practice and effective learning.

Problem-based learning in an online IT professional practice course

Educational research suggests that Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a pedagogy that fosters a deeper understanding of the curriculum and provides students with processes and skills for lifelong learning. According to the literature this pedagogy appears to be a suitable one for teaching undergraduate information technology, yet adoption of PBL in information technology tertiary education appears to be slow. This paper discusses characteristics and processes of PBL and describes how the approach will be used in teaching information technology professional practice. The course described will be offered to information technology students in their final year of study and will be delivered wholly online. The course will not only provide best practice aspects of PBL but it will also provide students with the opportunity of undertaking authentic tasks using multimedia resources that simulate the real world.

Mathematical knowledge of some entrants to a pre-service education course

Standards for teaching emphasise the need for teachers to have deep content knowledge. To assess the mathematical knowledge of students enrolling in its B.Ed. program, the University of New England has introduced a mathematics diagnostic test. This work is the first stage of an ongoing research project into the numeracy needs of students entering the B.Ed. program. The test is a pen-andpaper test that replaces previous on-line, multiple-choice tests. This paper reports on the test results, discusses some common errors made by students and outlines the future direction of the research.

Developing and presenting conceptual maps of course content

Teaching online involves providing an environment that is interactive and engaging. A large part of this is providing suitable learning resources. In this talk we will demonstrate an efficient method for producing conceptual maps of the actual course content, showing the structure of the subject for students in a visual way. The structures that result allows for learning resources to be linked in as required. The maps are developed using PowerPoint but they can be deployed in a web-friendly format or on CD-ROM.

Evaluation of a stress management course in adult education centres in rural Australia

Objective: To investigate whether attending a six-week stress management course in a rural adult education centre is effective in reducing participants' levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

Design: Repeated measures design using self-report measures of stress, anxiety and depression at commencement and completion of a six-week stress management course, and six months post-completion follow up.

Setting and participants: One hundred and thirty-two adults (age range 18–73 years) living in a rural community who self-enrolled in the stress management course at adult education centres.

Intervention: The course consisted of six weekly group sessions. Each two-hour session conducted by mental health professionals, included teaching cognitive behavioural strategies targeted at reducing individual symptoms of stress.

Main outcome measures: Comparative analysis of pre- and post-test and six-month follow up on measures of stress (Stress Symptom Checklist), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).

Results: Results indicated a significant reduction in stress symptoms (F(7,90) = 34.92, P < 0.001), anxiety and depression (F(3,95) = 87.92, P < 0.001) from course commencement to course completion. These improvements were sustained six months after course completion for stress symptoms (F(11,65) = 22.40, P < 0.001), anxiety and depression (F(5,73) = 41.78, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Findings demonstrate the stress management course is an effective community intervention in a rural community. Challenges for future implementation of the program are discussed.

Has quality management run its course? Views from the field

The aim of this paper is to assess and reflect on, through the perspectives of Australian Quality practitioners, the current status of quality management; whether there had been any significant and recent shift in their roles and responsibilities; and if there had been any improvement in the extent to which their development and training needs were being fulfilled. This paper sets out to identify the roles, responsibilities, and training and development needs of Australian quality managers and what impact these may be having on the current 'quality agenda' of organisations in Australia. In light of these findings this paper focuses on the HR people aspects of QM implementation (e.g. development of a quality culture; learning, training and development; leadership and management commitment and support) and the significance of these aspects for sustainable QM implementation. Recent literature On QM implementation and the findings of three previously conducted surveys (Waddell 1998; Waddell and Mallen 2001; and Stewart and Waddell 2003) have been integrated with the findings of this research.

CHC students online : responses to course organisation

Previous research by the authors has shown that Confucian Heritage Students participating in online problem solving discussions show a high degree of message postings that are related to the organization of the course of study, rather than to its contents and intellectual challenges. The authors argue that this is consistent with the more broadly based research outcomes relating to the achieving strategy that is quite typically exhibited among CHC students. This interview based study explores the perceptions of CHC students as they engage with collaborative learning online, and shows that the concerns relate to matters to do with assessment, with the reliability and timeliness of group member inputs, and the possibilities of plagiarism.